Several listeners have contacted me, asking for a visual/clarification on how to perform the one arm barbell press I described on this episode. Below is an example of the movement I was speaking to. This is a lift that can be performed in virtually any gym, mimic's the way the human body evolved to lift objects and requires NO special equipment/setup.

If you study human evolution, you'll note that when lifting objects overhead the natural movement seems to be up and AWAY from the body. For example, ask someone (anyone) to hold up a baby. They'll invariably lift the child UP and AWAY/SLIGHTLY FORWARD vs. directly overhead.

SHOULDER INJURIES: ANALYSIS

Most shoulder injuries are the result of too much pressing and not enough rowing/"pulling" IMO. Further, the two biggest offenders in gyms today are without question the bench press and shoulder/military press. This, due to the fact that the elbows are more often than not forced away from the torso. This move rectifies that issue, the unilateral version teaching great CNS coordination and lending itself much better to the transfer of power through the entire body. Further, unlike many other pressing movements it works all 3 heads of the tricep. As Carl Lanore pointed out as the movement unfolds the stress is handed off from the rear delt, to the medial head to the anterior deltoid.

FORM TIPS

Although this trainee performs the movement standing and with too much body English for my liking, it serves to illustrate my point. Typically, I prefer to perform these while kneeling on one knee. If pressing with the right arm, kneel on the right knee and place your left arm behind your back. Switch sides and press with the left arm, kneel on the left knee and place your right arm behind your back.

FINAL WORD

Whether you have a shoulder injury or not, this is a lift worth looking into. Many of my Blueprint trainees have used this very move to not only rehab, but build their shoulders back up to levels of size and strength that exceeded their former bests pre-injury.

SUPPS TO ASSIST

Many in The Blueprint Army have run into issues with injuries, either due to the rapid rate of size/strength Blueprint imparts or they enlisted with an existing injury. In this instance, I can't recommend USP Labs SuperCissusRx enough: